Combined Metabolic Activators Accelerates Recovery in Mild‐to‐Moderate COVID‐19
Dr Ozlem Altay, Dr Muhammad Arif, Xiangyu Li, Dr Hong Yang, Dr Mehtap Aydın, Dr Gizem Alkurt, Dr Woonghee Kim, Dogukan Akyol, Dr Cheng Zhang, Gizem Dinler‐doganay, Hasan Turkez, Prof Saeed M Shoaie, Jens Nielsen, Jan Borén, Oktay Olmuscelik, Levent Doganay, Mathias Uhlén, Adil Mardinoglu
Advanced Science, doi:10.1002/advs.202101222
COVID-19 is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic abnormalities, including the deficiencies in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) and glutathione metabolism. Here it is investigated if administration of a mixture of combined metabolic activators (CMAs) consisting of glutathione and NAD+ precursors can restore metabolic function and thus aid the recovery of COVID-19 patients. CMAs include l-serine, N-acetyl-l-cysteine, nicotinamide riboside, and l-carnitine tartrate, salt form of l-carnitine. Placebo-controlled, open-label phase 2 study and double-blinded phase 3 clinical trials are conducted to investigate the time of symptom-free recovery on ambulatory patients using CMAs. The results of both studies show that the time to complete recovery is significantly shorter in the CMA group (6.6 vs 9.3 d) in phase 2 and (5.7 vs 9.2 d) in phase 3 trials compared to placebo group. A comprehensive analysis of the plasma metabolome and proteome reveals major metabolic changes. Plasma levels of proteins and metabolites associated with inflammation and antioxidant metabolism are significantly improved in patients treated with CMAs as compared to placebo. The results show that treating patients infected with COVID-19 with CMAs lead to a more rapid symptom-free recovery, suggesting a role for such a therapeutic regime in the treatment of infections leading to respiratory problems.
Supporting Information Supporting Information is available from the Wiley Online Library or from the author.
Conflict of Interest A.M., J.B., and M.U. are the founders and shareholders of ScandiBio Therapeutics and they filed a patent application on the use of CMA to treat COVID-19 patients. The other authors declare no competing interests.
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